INTERNACIONAL
Chinese chemical bust by border officials underscores multifront effort by CCP to undermine US
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Mexican drug cartels are getting help from the Chinese to build their drug empire that feeds off American consumers.
Border patrol officials intercepted 50,000 kilos of precursor chemicals this week used in the process of manufacturing methamphetamines, sent from China and intended for members of the Sinaloa Cartel in Mexico. In addition to providing the cartels with the chemicals needed to make illicit drugs, Chinese entities are also one of the foremost actors in helping them launder their proceeds, according to the Treasury Department.
«For far too long, the Mexican drug cartels have raked in billions of dollars at the expense of our local communities leaving nothing but addiction, death and despair in their wake,» said Chad Plantz, Immigrations and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge in Houston. «This initiative provides HSI with a game-changing method to stay one step ahead of the cartels by disrupting the flow of chemicals that they depend on to produce illicit narcotics.»
‘COMING FOR US’: EXPERT SOUNDS ALARM ON CCP’S MISSION TO ‘KILL AMERICANS’ AFTER FBI MAKES SHOCKING ARRESTS
This images shows the Chinese flag next to a bag of the illicit drug known as fentanyl. In addition to precursor chemicals for methamphetamines, China is also a big supplier to Mexican drug cartels of precursor chemicals used to make fentanyl. ((Paul Yeung/Bloomberg via Getty Images and DEA))
The seizure was part of an ongoing initiative launched in 2019 to identify suspicious shipments of precursor chemicals from China, India and other countries that are destined for Mexican drug cartels. Since the initiative was established, officials have interdicted more than 1,700,000 kilograms of chemicals used to manufacture methamphetamines and fentanyl, including a seizure this past March of 44,000 kilograms of precursor chemicals at the Port of Houston, destined for the Sinaloa Cartel.
Immigration officials’ bust comes amid news of a spate of other incidents involving Chinese nationals or individuals working for China who have engaged in espionage efforts, ranging from agroterroism and selling military secrets, to infiltrating U.S. universities and utilizing American-based products to sow political divisions online.
In the latest incident, two Chinese nationals were charged with allegedly smuggling a «dangerous biological pathogen» into the U.S. to study at a University of Michigan laboratory. This happened amid controversy over the Trump administration’s effort to intensify visa scrutiny for Chinese nationals trying to enter the United States.
CHINESE OFFICIAL REPORTEDLY SEEKING TALKS WITH TRUMP ON FENTANYL INGREDIENTS AMID TRADE WAR
Last month, an expansive investigation by a group of Stanford students detailed how there is a culture of students and faculty at their school doing work for the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The report highlighted how some students want to work with the Chinese government, such as through sharing intellectual property or aligning their research priorities with Chinese interests, while others are sometimes coerced into doing work for the CCP, particularly if they have family back in Beijing.
Chinese Nationals Charged with Conspiracy and Smuggling a Dangerous Biological Pathogen into the U.S. for their Work at a University of Michigan Laboratory (Detroit Free Press/IMAGN)
Meanwhile, just this week, reports of Chinese efforts to steal U.S. state secrets or sow political divisions have surfaced.
On Friday, the Department of Justice indicted two Chinese nationals and a lawful permanent resident for conspiring to traffic sensitive American military technology to the CCP.
Over the weekend, a British businessman was arrested for attempting to smuggle sensitive U.S. military components to China.
American artifical intelligence company OpenAI this week also shutdown a Chinese-linked influence operation that was utilizing its ChatGPT product to generate social media posts and sow political division related to U.S. politics online.
The national flags of the United States and China flutter at the Fairmont Peace Hotel on April 25, 2024, in Shanghai, China. (Photo by Wang Gang/VCG via Getty Images)
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«The new visa policy is long overdue,» Congresswoman Michele Steel said. «After four years of willful ignorance – or gross incompetence – under the Biden administration, President Trump has wasted no time in directing his administration to take the decisive, necessary action to finally thwart the pervasive and growing threat of Chinese communist espionage.»
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U.S. District Judge James Boasberg will hear from immigration lawyers and the Trump administration in court on Thursday as he weighs new facts and allegations at the heart of one of the biggest immigration cases of President Donald Trump’s second term — setting the stage for another heated court fight.
Boasberg did not immediately signal which motions he would consider during the hearing.
However, it comes after Boasberg found himself at the center of Trump’s ire and attacks on so-called «activist» judges this year, following his March 15 temporary restraining order that sought to block Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act — a 1798 wartime immigration law — to quickly deport hundreds of Venezuelan nationals to El Salvador earlier this year.
Boasberg also ordered all planes bound for El Salvador to be «immediately» returned to U.S. soil, which did not happen.
His emergency order touched off a complex legal saga that ultimately spawned dozens of federal court challenges across the country — though the one brought before his court on March 15 was the very first — and later prompted the Supreme Court to rule, on two separate occasions, that the hurried removals had violated migrants’ due process protections under the U.S. Constitution.
Boasberg, as a result, has emerged as the man at the center of the legal fallout.
While the order itself has been in a bit of a holding pattern — the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia stayed the order two months ago, when they agreed to review the ruling — Thursday’s hearing could revive the bitterly divisive court fight once more.
WHO IS JAMES BOASBERG, THE US JUDGE AT THE CENTER OF TRUMP’S DEPORTATION EFFORTS?
Judge James E. Boasberg, chief judge of the Federal District Court in D.C., stands for a portrait at E. Barrett Prettyman Federal Courthouse in Washington, D.C., on March 16, 2023. (Carolyn Van Houten/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Boasberg is expected to consider plaintiffs’ motions to reopen limited discovery, citing new evidence — including a recent U.N. report stating that, according to Salvadoran officials, the U.S. holds sole legal responsibility and custody over migrants transferred to CECOT. Other submissions include a whistleblower report from former Justice Department attorney Erez Reuveni, who worked on the case shortly before his removal.
Trump administration officials have repeatedly excoriated Boasberg as an «activist judge» — a term they have employed for judges who have either paused or blocked Trump’s sweeping policy priorities enacted via executive order. Trump himself floated the idea that Boasberg could be impeached earlier this year— prompting Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts to issue a rare public warning.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION ASKS SUPREME COURT TO REVIEW EL SALVADOR DEPORTATION FLIGHT CASE
President Donald Trump and Attorney General Pam Bondi arrive to speak at the Department of Justice in Washington, D.C. (Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty)
Tensions between Boasberg and the Trump administration soared to a fever pitch earlier this year after Boasberg in April said he had found probable cause to hold the Trump administration in criminal contempt for failing to return the planes to U.S. soil, in accordance with his emergency order, and said the court had determined that the Trump administration demonstrated a «willful disregard» for his order.
The Trump administration appealed the findings to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.
In June, Boasberg ordered the Trump administration to provide all noncitizens deported from the U.S. to a maximum-security prison in El Salvador to be afforded the opportunity to seek habeas relief in court, and challenge their alleged gang status.
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His 69-page order began by invoking Franz Kafka’s «The Trial,» in which the protagonist, Josef K., awakens to find two strange men outside his room, who proceed to arrest him for unspecified crimes.
«Such was the situation into which Frengel Reyes Mota, Andry Jose Hernandez Romero, and scores of other Venezuelan noncitizens say they were plunged on March 15, 2025,» Boasberg said.
Thursday’s hearing comes amid a flurry of new reports and allegations filed by plaintiffs in the case in an effort to reopen discovery.
INTERNACIONAL
Los motivos por los que el dólar cae en el mundo y el euro gana impulso en medio de la guerra comercial
El caótico despliegue de los aranceles del presidente Donald Trump llevó a los inversores a cuestionar ideas establecidas sobre la seguridad y estabilidad del dólar estadounidense, cuyo valor se desplomó este año. En la búsqueda de alternativas, muchos recurrieron al euro.
El euro subió más de 11% frente al dólar desde principios de año y alcanzó su nivel más alto en cuatro años, 1,18 dólares. El euro también creció durante ese periodo frente a otras divisas importantes, como el yen japonés, la libra esterlina, el dólar canadiense y el won surcoreano, lo que sugiere que su fortaleza es más que un reflejo de la debilidad del dólar.
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Christine Lagarde, presidenta del Banco Central Europeo, dijo que este momento era una oportunidad para que el euro ganara influencia a nivel mundial.
“Estamos asistiendo a un profundo cambio en el orden mundial: los mercados abiertos y las normas multilaterales se están fracturando, e incluso el papel dominante del dólar estadounidense, piedra angular del sistema, ya no es seguro”, escribió la semana pasada.
El papel del dólar como moneda de reserva mundial otorga a Estados Unidos un “privilegio exorbitante”, término acuñado a regañadientes por un político francés en la década de 1960. Dado que los inversores, los gobiernos y los bancos centrales de todo el mundo buscan la rentabilidad segura y predecible de los activos denominados en dólares, como los bonos del Tesoro, existe una demanda sólida y constante por dólares. Esto facilita el endeudamiento del gobierno estadounidense y aumenta el poder adquisitivo de los consumidores. (Foto: The New York Times)
La eurozona, formada por los 20 países que utilizan el euro y que rivaliza con Estados Unidos en tamaño y riqueza, nunca atrajo a los inversores de la misma manera. El euro ocupa un distante segundo lugar, detrás del dólar, en términos de uso global.
La reciente subida del euro supone un gran cambio respecto a hace solo tres años, cuando cayó hasta la paridad con el dólar porque los inversores temían los daños de la creciente inflación y la invasión de Ucrania por Rusia. Y está a un mundo de distancia de la crisis de deuda de la eurozona de la década pasada, cuando a veces parecía que la unión monetaria corría el riesgo de desmoronarse.
A pesar de lo positiva que fue la recuperación del euro tras esos episodios, —el euro cotiza cerca de un máximo histórico frente a las monedas de decenas de grandes socios comerciales—, también es posible tener demasiado de algo bueno.
A medida que el dinero fluye hacia el euro y los activos denominados en euros, como la deuda pública alemana, algunos economistas y ejecutivos advierten de que la fortaleza de la moneda podría perjudicar a los exportadores. Estos ya se enfrentan a los aranceles de Trump, que encarecen sus productos para los compradores extranjeros, así como a una mayor competencia de los rivales chinos en mercados clave.
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“Es probable que una mayor fortaleza del euro sea contraproducente”, dijo Valentin Marinov, estratega de divisas del banco francés Crédit Agricole. Ya era probable que las exportaciones se debilitaran y se convirtieran en un lastre para la economía de la eurozona debido a los aranceles estadounidenses y a las políticas del gobierno europeo que fomentarían más importaciones.
Después de que una subida de los precios de la energía provocara años de lucha para reducir la inflación, el Banco Central Europeo, que fija las tasas de interés para la eurozona, se enfrenta ahora a la perspectiva de que la inflación podría ser demasiado baja.
El banco prevé una inflación media de 1,6% el próximo año, notablemente por debajo de su objetivo de 2 por ciento. Esto se debe en parte al impacto de un euro fuerte, que abarata las importaciones.
Algunos legisladores dijeron que existe el riesgo de que la lenta inflación se consolide, un problema ya conocido en la región. Durante casi una década, hasta 2021, el banco central mantuvo sus tipos de interés oficiales por debajo de cero, con la esperanza de estimular un crecimiento económico más rápido y fomentar un aumento constante de los precios. Los legisladores esperaban que esto se tradujera en un aumento de los salarios y en una mejora del nivel de vida.
Los responsables del BCE decidieron mantener las tasas de interés, pero los analistas están aumentando las apuestas de que podrían volver a recortarlas a finales de año, si las perspectivas económicas se oscurecen o la fortaleza del euro hace que las previsiones de inflación sean aún más bajas.
Reducir las tasas de interés tiende a debilitar una moneda, pero la reciente fortaleza del euro se ha producido, sobre todo, cuando el BCE recortó las tasas ocho veces en un año.
Luis de Guindos, vicepresidente del banco central, dijo que si el euro subiera por encima de 1,20 dólares, eso “sería mucho más complicado”. (Foto: AFP/DANIEL MUNOZ)
Algunas empresas europeas grandes advirtieron sobre el efecto de la fortaleza de la moneda en sus ganancias, especialmente en Alemania, un país muy exportador.
SAP, una empresa de software que recientemente se convirtió en la firma pública más valiosa de Europa, dijo que cada aumento de un centavo en el tipo de cambio euro-dólar se traduce en un descenso de 30 millones de euros en los ingresos, sin coberturas de divisas. Adidas, la marca de ropa deportiva, dijo que un euro fuerte tiene “efectos de conversión negativos” en sus ventas en el extranjero. Daimler, fabricante de camiones, dijo que las fluctuaciones del tipo de cambio euro-dólar “podrían afectar significativamente” a sus resultados financieros.
Resulta difícil predecir el futuro del euro.
Actualmente, cotiza en torno a 1,17 dólares, y los analistas encuestados por Bloomberg esperan que siga fortaleciéndose hasta 1,21 dólares el año que viene. Pero Marinov, de Crédit Agricole, dijo que creía que los operadores se habían adelantado: él espera que el euro vuelva a caer hacia 1,10 dólares el año que viene.
El repunte de la moneda este año no significa necesariamente que se vaya a producir un cambio duradero hacia el euro, en el que este represente una mayor proporción de las reservas de los bancos centrales o se utilice en más pagos transfronterizos.
Lagarde, del BCE, dijo que aprovechar el momento para un “euro global” requeriría un esfuerzo concertado para reforzar la fragmentada economía del bloque, racionalizar su gobernanza y profundizar sus mercados de capitales, entre otras cosas. “El paso hacia una mayor prominencia internacional de nuestra moneda no se producirá por defecto: hay que ganárselo”, dijo.
Por Eshe Nelson.
Dólar, euro, banco central europeo
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President Donald Trump is doubling down on his nomination of Alina Habba after federal judges in New Jersey declined to extend her term as interim U.S. attorney, and instead chose to replace her with a different prosecutor, whom the DOJ subsequently fired.
The unusual chain of events has led to confusion over who will become the next interim U.S. attorney in the District of New Jersey, as Habba’s 120-day term is set to expire this week.
A White House spokesman said in a statement provided to Fox News Digital that Trump supports Habba becoming the permanent U.S. attorney, a position that requires Senate confirmation.
DOJ SWIFTLY FIRES HABBA’S COURT-APPOINTED REPLACEMENT FOR US ATTORNEY
President Donald Trump listens as White House Presidential Counselor Alina Habba delivers remarks before being sworn in as the interim U.S. Attorney for New Jersey in the Oval Office at the White House on March 28, 2025, in Washington, D.C. (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
«President Trump has full confidence in Alina Habba, whose work as acting U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey has made the Garden State and the nation safer,» White House spokesman Harrison Fields said. «The Trump Administration looks forward to her final confirmation in the U.S. Senate and will work tirelessly to ensure the people of New Jersey are well represented.»
But Habba’s vote in the Senate does not appear to be happening anytime soon, if at all. New Jersey’s two Democratic senators, Cory Booker and Andy Kim, are currently blocking Habba’s nomination through the Senate’s «blue slip» tradition, and a person familiar with the process said the Senate has not received materials needed to vet her nomination in any case.
In the meantime, arcane laws surrounding the authority to fill federal vacancies have become pertinent.
Trump appointed Habba as the temporary U.S. attorney in March, but that term expires on Friday, according to the Department of Justice. Statutes indicate that federal judges have the authority to extend an interim U.S. attorney’s term or vote on replacing that person.
The district court judges of New Jersey, most of whom were appointed by Democratic presidents, convened behind closed doors on Monday and chose to replace Habba with her top assistant, Desiree Grace, a career DOJ prosecutor since 2016. Grace rose through the ranks to become head of the criminal division in New Jersey before becoming Habba’s No. 2 in April.
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Trump lawyer Alina Habba speaks at a campaign rally for then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at the PPL Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on Oct. 29, 2024. (ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)
However, Attorney General Pam Bondi alleged that the judges infringed on Trump’s authority to appoint U.S. attorneys by voting to replace Habba. Bondi said she «removed» Grace in response to the judges’ actions.
«[Habba] has been doing a great job in making NJ safe again,» Bondi said in a statement. «Nonetheless, politically minded judges refused to allow her to continue in her position, replacing Alina with the First Assistant. Accordingly, the First Assistant United States Attorney in New Jersey has just been removed.»
Grace could not be reached for comment. An anonymous source with knowledge of the matter told the New York Times that Grace received an email Tuesday informing her that she was fired.
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In this Sept. 4, 2018, photo, Senate Judiciary Committee member Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J. speaks during the committee’s Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh’s nominations hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP)
A Habba spokeswoman told Fox News Digital that Habba is still the interim U.S. attorney through Friday. But the tension between the DOJ and the judges leaves open the question of who will assume the role come Saturday.
Booker said that firing a court-appointed U.S. attorney was part of a «pattern» of the DOJ flouting the law.
«The firing of a career public servant, lawfully appointed by the court, is another blatant attempt to intimidate anyone that doesn’t agree with them and undermine judicial independence,» Booker wrote on X.
Booker is among the critics who have deemed Habba unqualified for the job. Habba, who served as Trump’s legal spokeswoman and personal defense lawyer during his criminal prosecutions, had no experience as a prosecutor before Trump appointed her as lead prosecutor in New Jersey.
Upon taking the job, Habba was accused of politicizing the role after she advocated turning New Jersey «red,» and she drew a rare rebuke from a judge for ordering Newark’s Democratic mayor arrested and then quickly dismissing the charges.
But Trump and DOJ leadership are standing firmly by Habba. The Trump administration found a workaround in the Northern District of New York when John Sarcone’s term as U.S. attorney recently expired there, but it is unclear if a similar option is available for Habba.
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Anne Joseph O’Connell, a Stanford Law School professor, wrote on Bluesky that she believed Trump had the authority to fire Grace and possibly re-appoint Habba to serve out another temporary term.
«The question now is, will they name Habba to a new 120-day interim US attorney appointment or will they turn to the Vacancies Act and name a different person as acting U.S. attorney,» O’Connell wrote.
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